The Lorule Archives: Ravio's Tale
by Zeldagirl367
Summary: Lorule is falling deeper and deeper into chaos, and Princess Hilda is desperate. She discovers a boy who could be her savior...if only he were a little more like the hero she imagined. Sort of a prequel to A Link Between Worlds.
1. Chapter 1

Hilda was unhappy.

Then again, when _wasn't _she unhappy?

Rain splattered against her window and mostly obscured her view of the courtyard, but she continued staring anyway, knees pulled up against her chest. It had been raining too much lately. If they were going to be at war, the least the gods could do was give them nice weather.

_Unless the gods really have forsaken us…_

There was a knock on her door. "Come in," Hilda said listlessly, never tearing her eyes from the window as she listened to the door open.

"Your Highness," Janus, the head of her Royal Guard, said. "It's nearly time to go."

"Yes," Hilda sighed, getting up from the windowsill and going to the mirror. "Give me a moment."

Janus closed the door. Hilda examined her features closely in the mirror, smoothing her dark ringlets and touching the bags under her eyes. She had done her best to hide them, but with a close look, her want of sleep was obvious.

Leaning back, Hilda picked up her circlet and set it carefully on her head, staring at herself in the mirror for another moment. Yes, she certainly looked royal. That was good, at least. She'd be visiting the cities that hadn't rebelled today, walking the streets as their princess, their queen - and if she didn't feel the part, the least she could do was look it.

Royalty, Hilda had learned, was all about image.

In these times especially, people needed to see for themselves what they were expected to believe. Hilda went from city to city trying to convince people that she was still in charge, that she had control of this situation, and that she could still fix this. And sometimes, it worked. She knew how to stand tall and look powerful and make people feel reassured.

But the truth was, Hilda was desperate. She let out a shaky breath, as Janus led her outside to where her carriage was waiting. The war was slowly slipping out of her hand, and she had no idea how she was going to fix it.

She tried not to think about that now. Now, her job was to give people ignorance, and therefore bliss.

_You're a silly, naive girl, Hilda, _a voice in her head told her. _You still expect a solution to magically fall out of the sky, don't you?_

The carriage ride was bumpy, and Hilda knew it was going to be long. They were going to some village on the coast of the river, but Hilda couldn't remember the name. She rested her head against the window and closed her eyes. It would be the usual routine - she'd walk along the streets, wave at the villagers who gathered to see her, and smile sweetly at children who ran up and tugged on her dress, pat them on the head to placate them.

The back wheel hit a huge bump, and Hilda gasped, sitting upright. Janus, in the seat next to her, did the same. He leaned forward and rapped on the window. The carriage had slowed to a stop. "What's going on up there?" he asked the driver.

The driver paused, glancing back at Janus, and looking around in confusion. Hilda tried to see out her window, but rain droplets had blurred it almost entirely.

Then, suddenly, the driver was yanked off his seat by a pair of hands, and Hilda heard a yelp. Janus rattled the carriage as he leapt from his seat, throwing open the door to the carriage and drawing his sword. Hilda slid over to see after him.

Janus tried to throw the door shut behind him but Hilda was quick to catch it and clamber out of the carriage, mud squishing around her feet, and her eyes scanned the ground to see if the driver was all right. All she saw were several figures standing around her carriage, dressed in dark clothing. Each one wore a hideous mask made to look like a beast.

Janus approached them, blade in hand. "What is the meaning of this?" he snarled. "You are committing a crime punishable by _death_."

Hilda counted the men. There were five of them, and only one of Janus, but the certainty in the way he gripped his sword hilt reassured her. Janus was the best and most well-trained swordsman in Lorule. He could defeat a few mere bandits.

But then again, Hilda was not so sure that these _were _only bandits. There was a growing cult in Lorule that she had heard about, called the Masked Followers. _I can't remember exactly, but… _Hilda glanced around at the five masked men. _Weren't they the people that were arrested for causing riots?_

"There is no law anymore," came a voice from behind a green mask, with a long beak and narrow black eyes. "We have been abandoned. Now there are only monsters." He held out a hand. "We had no choice but to join them. We had no choice but to become monsters ourselves."

"Madmen," Janus muttered.

Hilda noticed that the men had formed a tight semicircle around the two of them, cornering them against the side of the carriage. The man in the green mask stepped towards Janus. "It is either join or be destroyed."

Hilda saw something glint as his hand vanished into his cloak, and she gasped. "Janus-!"

The sound had barely left her mouth before Janus's sword flashed out and sliced the man right across his throat. Blood sprayed wildly from his neck as he fell to the ground, causing the other Masked Followers to recoil. He hadn't even drawn his knife.

"Your Highness, get yourself to safety!" Janus shouted over his shoulder, poising himself as the other men started at him. Hilda stumbled, picking up her skirts and running around the carriage to find a place to hide when she nearly tripped over the body of her driver.

Hilda stopped, and shaking, she let her eyes travel over the man's corpse. His neck was twisted around at an odd angle, so that there were multiple folds in the skin, and his eyes were glazed over. Hilda put a hand to her mouth. She had never seen a dead body before. She staggered backwards…

...and collided with a Masked Follower's chest.

He grabbed her arm and ripped her out from behind the carriage, turning her around. The eyes in the mask stared coldly out at her, expression completely unmoving.

Hilda did not have time to protest, pull away, or even panic. For a split second she saw the knife plummeting towards her heart, and opened her mouth to scream.

And then, the man who had a hold of her was pushed to the ground. His knife went flying out of his hand while Hilda's scream died in her throat, blinking down in confusion.

On top of her attacker, panting heavily, there was a boy dressed in travelling gear. He had thick, floppy black hair that covered one of his eyes as he stared up at her in confusion, and a long blue and black striped scarf. He couldn't have been much older than she was. And yet…?

"You...you saved me." It was all she could think of to say.

The boy blinked up at her, showing no sign of comprehension on his face. "Did I?"


	2. Chapter 2

The truth was, it had been a complete accident.

It wasn't the first time Ravio had encountered the Masked Followers. In fact, he had just been running from them a moment ago, after he'd escaped them in the forest and had just managed to lose them only to collide with a whole other group.

He did have a bad habit of not watching where he was going. And now he was sitting on top of a groaning Masked Follower, staring up at a dark-haired beauty who was claiming he had saved her life.

After giving his dumbfounded response, Ravio looked down and realized what had happened. "Oh," he said. "Oh no no, I..."

"Your Highness!" another voice called and the girl turned towards it. "Are you all right?"

_Your Highness?_

Ravio took a closer look at the girl. Her gown was made of fine material, and the skirt was adorned with a Triforce symbol. He looked up at her clean, smooth face, her red eyes, and then the circlet around her head.

Jolting, Ravio clambered off the Masked Follower and got down onto one knee, bending his head. "I-I'm so sorry, Your Highness," he stammered. "I didn't realize-"

Ravio paused as a large brute of a man jogged over. "I'm fine, Janus," Princess Hilda said to him.

"You should have stayed inside the carriage," he scolded her, grabbing hold of the Masked Follower behind Ravio. Janus hauled the man off the ground with ease. The Masked Follower offered no resistance, expression hidden.

Princess Hilda's eyes were back on Ravio, and Ravio quickly lowered his head once more. "What is your name?" he heard her ask.

"It's Ravio." Without thinking, Ravio looked at her again, then remembered himself and dropped his gaze, adding, "Your Highness."

"You may stand, Ravio."

Ravio looked up uncertainly, but got to his feet. "That was very brave of you," Hilda said.

Ravio's head snapped up. "What?" _Brave? _"No, I just, uh...you misunderstood, I was..."

"Princess." Janus held a now unmasked Masked Follower by the collar. "We'll need to return him to the castle immediately. I'm sure the gaoler will have questions for him."

Hilda looked alarmed. "What? ...No, the city is expecting me. We have go forward."

"Your Highness, we cannot possibly-"

"How would it look if I simply didn't show up?" Hilda questioned. "These are impressionable people. I _insist _that we keep going."

Janus sighed. "We can't bring a prisoner with us, and you can't go by yourself."

Princess Hilda paused a moment, her eyes landing thoughtfully on Ravio. She grabbed his arm suddenly, pulling him close. "I won't be by myself," she said. "Ravio will accompany me. Won't you, Ravio?"

Ravio stammered again. "I...I...huh?"

Hilda clutched his arm tighter, and Ravio gulped, feeling his cheeks turn red. "See?" Hilda said. "He can protect me."

"This runt?" Janus eyed Ravio doubtfully, and Ravio shrank beneath his stare.

Janus looked annoyed, but unclipped the sword from his belt, holding it outwards. "Here."

It took Ravio a good few moments to realize that Janus was offering the sword to him. The color drained from his face. "Um..."

"I will not allow you to guard the Princess unarmed," Janus said firmly.

"Go on, Ravio," Hilda said. "Take it. You probably won't need it anyway."

_Sure, probably. _Hands shaking, Ravio reached forward and took the sword. Janus let go, and Ravio nearly dropped it, fumbling for a good grip and struggling to keep the heavy steel in the air. Hilda looked away. Janus rolled his eyes again.

Ravio swallowed hard, trying to remember how he had gotten into this.

Janus took his leave of them, dragging his prisoner, and Ravio and Hilda turned back towards the carriage, only for Hilda to put a hand over her mouth in realization. "...Your Highness?" Ravio asked.

"I just remembered," Hilda said, blinking her eyes rapidly. "The driver..."

Ravio waited a moment to see if she'd finish her sentence, then followed her gaze and saw what she meant. He quickly averted his eyes. "Erm..." He looked around. "Well...we can always unhook the horses from the carriage and..."

"No!" Hilda interrupted, snapping her head around to look at him. "We can't just leave him there!"

"We can't?"

"Of course not!" She stared at Ravio in horror, and crossed her arms. "We have to bury him."

_By we, I expect she means me, _Ravio thought, and with a heavy sigh, started towards the body. The sight of its neck twisted around made his stomach churn, but still he knelt down, and with a shudder, slipped his arms beneath the driver's shoulders and began to drag him away from the carriage.

Hilda watched for a moment, then came forward to lift the driver's feet. Ravio jerked the body away from her. "No, no," he said quickly, and Hilda paused, regarding him in surprise. Ravio remembered who she was. "I mean...I'll do it, Your Highness. You shouldn't soil your hands with..."

"Don't be ridiculous," Hilda said, continuing forward and lifting the corpse up by the ankles.

They carried the driver to the bushes on the side of the road and set him down. "Now what?" Ravio asked. "I don't suppose you've got a shovel?"

Hilda considered, and then began breaking branches off the bush and covering the body in the leaves. Ravio followed suit. "What was his name?" he asked. "Your Highness."

Princess Hilda faltered, hand hovering over a branch. "I..." She swallowed. "I'm not sure. There are so many servants at the caslte, I don't..."

Ravio nodded. "I understand." He stopped, and once again realized he'd forgotten to say it. "Um, Your Highness."

Hilda let out a frustrated sigh. "It's just us here, you know. You don't have to do that."

"You mean...?"

"It gets tiring." Hilda knelt down on the ground and began scooping up leaves. "You can call me Hilda."

Ravio nearly dropped his armful of sticks, spluttering. "Wha-but you're-I-I couldn't possibly-"

Hilda giggled, and Ravio felt himself go bright red. _She has a cute laugh..._

Then he shook his head. _How ridiculous. _There was no denying that Princess Hilda was beautiful, but he was too far below her to even be allowed to think about her that way. He almost snorted to himself; a commoner falling in love with a princess sounded like something out of a fairytale.

And fairytales didn't come true in Lorule, Ravio reminded himself. Not ever.


	3. Chapter 3

Overall, the trip had been a success.

Hilda had ridden into the city on horseback, with Ravio trailing her, waving and smiling for those who had come to see her. It had been a good crowd, and in a way, riding horseback was better than riding in a carriage. She could see every single person; the city wasn't supposed to be big, but it looked as though all the residents had come to see her, crowding on the side of the street as if she were an entire parade.

And Ravio...Hilda let her head rest against the window. Ravio had been shy, but at least he hadn't called her "Your Highness" again.

He had escorted her halfway back to the palace before a whole squad of her personal guards intercepted them, circling her and chiding her as they checked to see if she was injured. Hilda had tried to get around then, and she didn't know how many times she had repeated the phrase "I'm all right". When they finally broke their cluster around her, Ravio was nowhere to be found.

As soon as she'd returned to the castle, she'd dispatched her men out to find him. It had been almost two weeks, and there was still no word.

Hilda stood up from her windowsill and collapsed into the armchair by the bed. This was where her father used to sit every night when she was little, and read to her from a book of fairytales until she fell asleep. Hilda picked at her nails, sinking deeper into the chair. After he'd died she had spent two weeks curled up in this chair, just because it still smelled like him. It didn't anymore. Hilda drew her knees up to her stomach and pressed her face against the back of the chair, breathing deeply.

Janus kept asking her why she even bothered with Ravio. "He was clearly a low-life," he told her. "Scum. I wish you hadn't trusted him so readily."

"I was fine, wasn't I?" Hilda had pointed out. "Besides, I never properly thanked him."

"He doesn't deserve your thanks, Your Highness," Janus had replied. "Not to mention, he _did _steal that horse."

"We have plenty of horses," Hilda had snapped. "I'm sure he'll bring it back, once he comes here."

"He's not going to come."

"He _will _come," she argued, voice rising in command. Janus shut right up.

Hilda sighed. She didn't want to tell Janus why she bothered with Ravio because frankly, it was stupid. She still cringed at herself for believing it. There really was a silly little girl deep inside her who thought everything was a fairytale...

There was a sharp knock on the door, and Hilda scrambled very ungracefully out of the chair. She let the door swing wide open.

Janus stood to attention, looking more gruff than usual. "Sorry to disturb you, Your Highness," he said. "But...it seems we've found your friend."

"Ravio?" Hilda's eyes widened. "Is he here now?"

Janus's eyes slid to he side. "Yes. He was told to wait in the throne room for you."

Hilda let a smile across her face. "I'll be there in a moment. Make sure he doesn't go anywhere, all right?" Hilda closed the door without waiting for Janus's response and scurried to her mirror, touching her ringlets to make sure they were all in place and setting her circlet on her head.

Then she hiked up her skirts and ran for the throne room, weaving through the palace's winding hallways and opening the grand doors onto the throne balcony.

Sure enough, there he was, hovering in front of the guards at the door and currently engaged in an argument. "I don't need to meet with the Princess," he was telling the guard. "And besides, I really, really have to-"

Ravio?" Hilda said from the top of the balcony. Ravio whirled around, and dropped to one knee.

"Y-Your Highness," he stammered.

Hilda came down the steps and approached him, clasping her hands in front of her. Ravio peeked up nervously. "Um." He swallowed. "I-I'm sorry if I disturbed you, Your Highness."

"Nonsense," Hilda said, frowning. "I'm the one who wanted you here. Stand up."

Ravio got to his feet, and Hilda gave him another once-over. "I never got to thank you," she said. "For saving my life the other day." She reached over and took his hand, making his cheeks instantly change color. "Thank you." Hilda gave his hand a squeeze before releasing it.

Ravio's eyes were wide, but he managed to choke out a response. "I-It was my pleasure," he said.

"How would you like to be rewarded?"

"What?"

"Your reward." Hilda smiled. "It is customary to receive a reward when one performs a brave deed."

Ravio looked surprised, and he shuffled is feet. "Well, you could...you know..._not _have me arrested for stealing that horse."

Hilda blinked, and then laughed.

"I'll tell you what," she said. "You can keep the horse. How's that?"

Before Ravio could answer, Hilda felt a tremor beneath her and took a step back in alarm. The tremor became a violent shake, and Hilda fought for balance.

The entire ground seemed to shift then, as if some giant had picked up the palace and thrown it several feet away. Hilda and Ravio both fell, Ravio stumbling backwards and Hilda falling on top of him.

Faintly, Hilda began to hear shouting, and pushed herself up. Ravio stared at her with wide eyes. "Sorry," she said. The ground had not ceased to shake.

"Princess Hilda!" one of her guards shouted over the rumbling. "Are you all right?"

"Yes!" she called back, then looked around. "What _is _that?"

"An earthquake?" Ravio suggested, struggling to his feet. The ground began to shake harder, and Hilda shook her head, turning and running for the stairs.

She stumbled and slipped, the floor jerking and trying to throw her this way and that, but she managed to reach the balcony, and made a beeline for a side door.

She opened it and ran out onto the veranda, grabbing hold of the railing to steady herself. Ravio had been right behind her and entered also, staring out in awe.

The earth itself was breaking. Hilda watched in terror as a giant crack formed at the surface of the ground, shoving the two pieces of land away from each other. It stretched farther than she could see, was ten feet wide, and in it: a black void.

Hilda's grip on the railing tightened. The rumbling had died down now and she let out an audible breath, eyes never leaving that crack not far from her palace walls. _Lorule..._

Hilda gasped, turned, and ran back inside.


	4. Chapter 4

Ravio caught the door before Hilda could slam it shut, calling after her. "Princess Hilda?"

He glanced back at the crack in the earth. Was she just scared? Ravio imagined all the possibilities of that crack, and it scared him too. There was distant shrieking now in the distance, and he could hear the commotion in the palace even from the terrace.

Ravio went back inside in time to see Hilda disappear through the center doors on the balcony. Without thinking he chased after her, calling her name.

He had to dodge several men in palace guard uniforms; the entire palace was in a complete state of panic. Several of the guards had tried to speak to Hilda as she ran by but she had pushed them all away, continuing down the corridor. Ravio wasn't sure if that meant he should be following her either. But he continued anyway, only coming to a stop when he saw her disappear behind a door and slam it shut.

Ravio swallowed, hesitating. Was it okay for someone like him to go into a princess's bedroom? Carefully, he approached the door. He was pretty sure it wasn't. But still…

Gently, he knocked on the door. There was no response. Ravio knocked again, louder, and then pressed his ear against the wood to listen.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Ravio nearly fell forward. Princess Hilda was there, eyes red, but wide at him in surprise. "Ravio?"

"Uh…" Ravio rubbed at the back of his neck. "Sorry...I just-"

Hilda didn't wait for him to finish, grabbing his arm and yanking him inside the room before slamming the door shut again.

Then she collapsed on the floor and buried her head in the seat of an armchair, sobbing.

Ravio was completely paralyzed. He began to wish he hadn't knocked on her door after all. Now what was he supposed to do?

After a moment, Hilda lifted her head. "I'm sorry," she said, eyes streaming. "I'm just...I just can't believe…"

Ravio glanced out Hilda's bedroom window. The crack was clearly visible even from the other end of the room. "Do you have any idea what that thing is?"

Hilda sobbed again. "You don't?" she asked. "Haven't you heard the rumors? Don't you remember the Great Civil War?"

"The Great Civil War?" Ravio blinked. "That was ten years ago. I was too young to remember much…"

"Yes, but you know about it, don't you?"

"Well…" Ravio felt his cheeks going red in embarrassment. History had never been his strong suit.

Hilda sighed. "I suppose it is not your duty to know as much about these things as I do." She stood up, rubbing at her eyes, and stepped towards the window. "The Great Civil War ten years ago was fought over who would control the Triforce, the divine relic given to Lorule by the gods. It was just a bloody free-for-all; men killing each other in the streets, fighting to get to the Triforce before anyone else. Once we had determined that the Triforce was not hidden in Lorule itself, rumors spread about the existence of a Sacred Realm. The war dragged on. Eventually, this place was discovered, but no matter how much we searched it…" Hilda looked away. "The Triforce was nowhere to be found. It had vanished."

Ravio tilted his head. "But...what does that have to do with anything?"

Hilda whipped around to look at him. "Because since that day, Lorule hasn't been the same. The forests and plains are filled with demons, the sun rarely shows itself, and now…" Her eyes turned to the window. Ravio followed her gaze and stared at the empty void the crack in the earth had left. Hilda let out a sigh. "The Triforce was supposed to be an adhesive force that made the existence of Lorule possible. But when we started to fight over it, the gods decided that we weren't worthy. They took it from us. And now Lorule is falling apart."

"But…" Ravio's brow dipped, shaking his head. "Princess Hilda, with all due respect, those are all just stories. We don't even know if this Triforce thing ever existed in the first place."

"That's true," Hilda murmured. "All the same...there can be no other explanation for all this." She looked at him, dark red eyes searching his. "What we really need is a hero."

There was a moment of silence. Ravio blinked in confusion, as she held his gaze expectantly. Am I supposed to say something…?

Hilda's shoulders dropped, and she frowned. "I'm talking about you, Ravio."

Ravio's eyes widened, and he tried to say something, but then choked on air. "You want me to do what?" he asked, grasping at his words.

Hilda stepped towards him. "I'm asking you, Ravio. There is no one else. Don't you want to save Lorule?"

"I…of course I do, but…" Ravio was panting. "By myself? Wh-why me? I can't possibly…"

"Well, because…" Hilda trailed off, and her cheeks flushed a little bit. She turned suddenly and grabbed a thin picture book off her shelf, flipping through the pages. "This is why." She showed Ravio a page of the book. "You look just like the hero in this book. See?"

Ravio looked closely at the picture. He recognized the storybook she held-a typical children's tale about a young boy who saves a kingdom from certain destruction by battling foes and appealing to the gods. Ravio thought he might have read it when he was younger. But now that he looked at the illustration, he had to admit that the boy did have a resemblance to him…

He shook his head, backing away. "No. No way. I won't do it. I can't…" He was getting short of breath again just thinking about it. "I don't know who you think I am...but this isn't a storybook, Your Highness. I'm no hero."

Hilda closed the book, eyes starting to brim with tears again. "Ravio, please!" she cried. "There is no one else! Lorule is dying!" She clutched the book close to her chest, as though it were her life. "If Lorule dies, Ravio, then...I've failed. I've failed everyone."

"But...a quest like that...it would be dangerous. I could be killed!"

"If you don't do something, we're all in danger!"

"I'm sorry!" Ravio raised his voice, but he couldn't help it. It was taking all he had to keep from shaking in fear. "There must be someone else you can ask."

Hilda blinked, eyes drying, and slowly lowered the storybook.

She looked down, clearing her throat. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I suppose it was unfair of me to ask." She looked at the book, then quickly averted her eyes. "I'm being stupid again."

"No…" Ravio took a step towards her, but she turned away.

"You should go, Ravio," she said, looking down at her book. "Before someone finds you in here."

Ravio lingered for another second, wondering if he should say something. Hilda didn't turn around.

He had no choice but to leave the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Hilda thought she might have sat in her room for an hour, resting on the bed and flipping through the storybook pages. _Stupid,_ she kept thinking. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. _No doubt Ravio had gone home thinking Lorule's princess was a delusional child.

Suddenly, the pictures in he book made her feel sick. She slammed the cover shut and stuck it back on the shelf. Maybe she was a delusional child. _Maybe it's just time to grow up, Hilda. There are no heroes._

She jolted to reality upon hearing Janus's voice right outside her door, and some scuffling. Hilda stood up and threw the door open.

The two people behind her door turned and looked at her. One of them was Janus, and the other was Ravio, whom Janus was holding by the collar.

Hilda blinked at Ravio. _Did he come back? _"What are you doing?" she asked.

Janus shook Ravio's collar. "This scum was sitting right outside your door. I was just informing him that he had overstayed his welcome."

"No, no," Hilda said quickly, before Janus could drag him off. "No. It's okay. Leave us."

Janus released Ravio, clearing his throat. "Your Highness, actually, I came to tell you that there's a man here demanding to see you."

"Not now."

"Your Highness." Janus stayed put. "He is very insistent. He claims that you'll want to hear what he has to say."

"Eh?" Not a very princess-like response, she realized. She looked at Ravio, who smiled weakly.

"We...can talk later," Ravio said. "You should see what's going on."

Hilda nodded, swallowing. "Bring him to the throne room," she told Janus. "I'll meet you there." Then, she grabbed Ravio's hand. "And I want you to come."

Ravio stumbled a little bit, but sped up to obey. "What for?"

"Because I want you to."

There was no response. Hilda could feel Ravio's palm sweating. Or was it her own palm?

They entered the throne room balcony, where Hilda sat in her throne and Ravio stood beside her. A moment later, the door opened.

Janus entered, leading in the most ridiculous man Hilda had ever seen.

What caught her eye first was his over-inflated harem pants, striped blue and black, and his gold pointed shoes. The tunic he wore overtop was long and dark, with long sleeves and a Triforce symbol printed in the middle. On top of that he wore a purple cloak, and both of his ears were pierced.

His face was downright frightening. He had a long, pointed nose and beady black eyes. His hair was red, and much too long for a man, in Hilda's opinion.

The man swept into the room, grinning up at her, and then bowed down low. "My greetings, Princess Hilda," he said. "I am Yuga. And I believe I have the answer to your problems."


	6. Chapter 6

The sight of the man made the hair on Ravio's neck stand on edge.

What was it? Ravio knew it wasn't the odd fashion choice that bothered him nor was it the flamboyant way he carried himself. There was something off about the way he grinned at Hilda, but that wasn't it either; although Ravio noted that almost no one in Lorule was ever that happy.

It was his eyes, Ravio decided. Although he was smiling, they carried something sinister in them, something he was barely trying to hide. Ravio felt his fists clench.

"What?" Hilda said, leaning forward. "I'm sorry...who exactly _are _you?"

Yuga continued to wear that ridiculous grin, and it made Ravio's eyes narrow. "A humble servant, and nothing more, Your Highness. I come to offer you a solution."

"A solution to _what_?"

"The gigantic crack in the earth outside your window, perhaps?"

Hilda stiffened, and she locked eyes with Ravio for a moment. "What about it?" she asked slowly.

"It won't be the last time this happens." He was still smiling, but his tone darkened. "It will happen all over Lorule, sporadically at first, and then quite frequently. Unless something is done, Your Highness, Lorule will bre decimated."

Hilda was sitting up straight now, fingers gripping the arms of her throne. "I am well aware of the problem," she said, voice strained. "What solution could you possibly have?"

Yuga clasped his hands behind his back. "What Lorule needs is another Triforce to pull it back together. And I know just where to find one."

This time, Hilda turned right around to look at Ravio. Ravio frowned, glancing between her and Yuga. "That's impossible," Hilda said, turning back to Yuga. "There is only one Triforce. There can be only _one_ Triforce."

"Perhaps I should explain." Yuga's eyes travelled around the room, and met with Ravio's for several moments. Ravio found himself short of breath, face growing hot with actual rage. This man was up to no good. He knew it. He could _feel_ it in every inch of his body. He looked at Hilda, trying to drive the message right into her pretty head. But her expression remained unchanged, curious if anything. Yuga detached his gaze from Ravio and smiled at Hilda. "If it is not forward of me to ask, might we have some privacy, Your Highness?"

"It is forward," Hilda replied curtly. "_Very_. Get on with it. How are you going to magically conjure up another Triforce."

Unfazed by the rejection, Yuga continued to smile. "Your Highness. Are you familiar with the theory that our world is not the only one? That there may be others, even some..._parallel_, say, to ours?"

It was certainly not something Ravio had ever been taught, but Hilda seemed to recognize the thought, tilting her head. "Yes," she said carefully.

"Let's say there is a parallel world," Yuga continued. "One just like ours, except for one key difference-this world's gods did not abandon it. This world is full of good people. And this world has a Triforce. Exactly like the one we used to have."

Ravio felt his mouth getting dry. Was that true? Another Triforce...it was a chance to save Lorule, Ravio realized, but he didn't think two worlds could share a Triforce. If this other world was exactly like theirs, then...

"How do you know about this?" Hilda sked.

"I have certain talents," Yuga told her. "Unusual talents. I have seen this world and the people in it...and I have decided that they would be incredibly easy to swindle."

"What?" Ravio couldn't help himself. Hilda turned around to give him a scolding look, and he closed his mouth, but looked at Yuga in awe.

"You want me to steal a Triforce," Hilda said, facing forward.

"For the good of Lorule, Your Highness." Yuga bowed down low again.

"But..." Hilda bit her lip. "If we did that...the same thing that's happening to us...would happen to them?"

"Unfortunately," Yuga replied. "But when saving an entire kingdom, Your Highness, there are bound to be casualties."

Hilda hesitated. Ravio swallowed. "Princess Hilda," he said, in a low whisper. "Your Highness..."

"Quiet," she hissed back. "I...I'm thinking.

"This is wrong," Ravio said, heart pounding. "We can't. We can't doom another universe just to save ours."

"Ravio, be quiet," Hilda snapped.

"No," he said, surprising himself. "No, I won't let you do this." His voice was rising, and he stared straight at Yuga.

He didn't know why he said what he said next; maybe it was because he couldn't stand the thought of killing hundreds of people just to save themselves. Maybe it was because he wanted to save Hilda from having to make the decision. Or maybe it was just to wipe that stupid grin off Yuga's face. But regardless of why, he had said it, knowing full well that he could never take it back.

"There is a better way," he said. "At least, a less destructive way. What you said to me before, after the earthquake, remember?" Hilda turned around to look at him, red eyes wide. Ravio sucked in a breath. "I'm going to do it. _I'm _going to save Lorule." He turned back to look at Yuga. "And I'm going to do it _without_ murdering an entire kingdom."


End file.
